Strummerville, A Charity in Honour of Joe Strummer of The Clash, What’s Mellor All About?

Updated on April 9, 2012

Strummerville Charity

Let me introduce you to the charity Strummerville! Set up in honour of the late Joe Strummer of
The Clash, the trustee’s consist of family and friends who create opportunities
for musicians who lack the necessary funds to do so.

They also support projects and organisations based around Joe
Strummer’s ethics and beliefs. This
ranges from providing instruments to prisoners, to help with rehabilitation
(Jail Guitar Doors), to supporting people after murder and manslaughter
(SAMM).

As you can see they are not
biased in where they direct their help. The key is intervention
humanitarian…the common good. Strummer
strived for an unbiased world – a world where racism and racial discrimination,
whether against whites, blacks and whoever, ceases to exist. He strived for a world against racism by
advocating freedom and fairness.

The Strummerville Charity was inspired by Joe
– he helped make a difference in the world.
From environmental to humanitarian and social issues, through his music
he inspired change.

Strummer was an inspiration... The Future Is Unwritten!!

Activist, humanitarian, environmentalist and musician.

The formation of
Future Trees (now The Carbon Neutral Company) was his brainchild by instigating
the planting of acres of trees and Johnny Appleseed by Strummer was released to
advertise this passionate environmental message.

His legacy continues to help the lives of others. From the days he spent around the Strummer
Camp fire at Somerset’s Glastonbury Festival, to the united collaboration of
musician’s in aid of fundraising for Strummerville (cover of Janey Jones with
Babyshambles and friends) – John Mellor continues to leave his mark.

The Clash

The Clash Calling

Ever heard of The Clash? This was a band that inspired a
generation. They took music further
into a dimension that had never seen the likes before and, arguably, since. The Clash’s music was the voice of the late
70’s and early 80’s. Their political
stance advocated change and anti-racist views.
‘White Man in Hammersmith Palais’, ‘White Riot’ and ‘I Fought the Law
and the Law Won’ were songs that helped spread political awareness to the
working class youth of the day. The
anti-racist messages were performed in bite-sized musical rants. This helped those who had no interest in the
Politics of the day to wake up become proactive.

Music of The Clash

The Clash Calling Anti-establismentarianism!

Britain in the late 70’s was going through great change and
The Clash were hard enough to challenge the establishment. The young people were no longer going to
just accept the status quo. The
rebellion had started through aggressive punk beats, ‘no nonsense, challenge me
if you dare’ fashion and anti-establishmentarianist views. You can read how changes occurred during
this time by clicking here. This is a
hub on how the generation born in the 60’s were encouraged to be selfish due to
social and political changes during the 70’s and 80’s. The Clash's relevance help to add to this
backlash.

If The Clash inspired a generation, Joe Strummer was the voice!

If The Clash were the band that inspired a generation, it’s
lead singer was the voice. Joe
Strummer, born John Mellor in Ankara, Turkey, cared passionately for
people. Although the son of a British
Foreign Service diplomat and privately educated in Surrey, he became estranged
from his family and ended up squatting London.
He squatted with other homeless people and experienced working classes
struggles. I think this made him angry
and with this anger, directed his voice toward the common good of the working
classes.

"Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but
I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control
and it didn't have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realised that you either
became a power or you were crushed" Joe Strummer Quote.

The Man Himself... Joe Strummer!

Joe Strummer - The Working Class Hero!

Joe Strummer became a working class hero. Not only that, but the loss of his brother
to suicide after he had joined the National Front, must have had a huge impact
on him. It might be for this reason
that his disgust on racism may have stemmed from. Not just for the loss of his brother but for the opinions that he
had adopted. You can click here for
more on Joe Strummer. Joe was a humanitarian.

‘I'd like to say people can change anything they want
to; and that means everything in the world. People are running about following
their little tracks. I am one of them. But we've all gotta stop... just stop
following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything; this is something
that I'm beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each
other; it's because they've been dehumanized. It's time to take that humanity
back into the centre of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed... it ain't
going anywhere! They should have that on a big billboard across Times Square.
Think on that. Without people you're nothing.’ Joe Strummer quote.

Strummerville

Strummerville - The Legacy of Joe Strummer!

If you understand the man you will understand
‘Strummerville’ the cause, created in his honour after his death in 2002.

Strummerville is not a hugely known charity and neither does
it direct it’s energy to world causes like Oxfam or the Red Cross, however, it
does offer opportunities to talented and struggling musicians. The arts are not very well funded but music
in our lives is necessary. Through
music, messages are made and spread.
This can impact on us all, just like it did for the punks in the late
70’s.

Strummerville's Mission...

Strummerville’s mission states the following:

‘Strummerville is a registered charity that aims to create new opportunities for aspiring musicians…to provide rehearsal space and studio time to individuals, groups and organisations to enable the production of music by creative young people who would otherwise be preventing from doing so simply because they lack the necessary funds…’

As you can see, the charity is about offering support,
resources and performance opportunities to artists. If you are aware of the saying ‘It’s not what you know, but who
you know’, you will see that through Strummerville, artists may actually have a
chance of creating music and potentially breaking through because of their
talent - not because they happen to have a family member in the industry. Again, Joe’s legacy continues to advocate
for the poorest, but most talented members of our society - our working class
hero still impact on the lives of others even after his death!

Strummer Camp at Glastonbury Festival

Joe Strummer and Future Forests

Strummer was always active at the Glastonbury Festival. He would be the wise man at the fire sharing
his opinions and understanding that of others.
During the punk revolution he believed in anarchy, but as he grew older
and reflected, he advocated the hippy movement’s principals of love, peace and
harmony. He had always been a
humanitarian, but also cared passionately for the environment. Joe was one of the first to set up and
promote the ideas of carbon offsetting by planting trees – Future Forests (now
the Carbon Neutral Company) - which rock legends like U2 and Thom Yorke of
Radiohead still advocate today. As you
can see from the following video, Joe carried on spreading the environmental
message long after the Clash…

Joe Strummer's Johnny Appleseed… ‘If you want the honey, then don’t go killing all the bees’

Glastonbury Festival and the Strummerville Foundation.

Even now at the Glastonbury Festival, by the memorial stone,
Joe’s presence can still be felt. There
you will find a blazing fire encompassed with couches. People arrive here - they stop, they sit,
they sing, they talk, they laugh, they cry, but most importantly they share
something of Joe and then… they go. It
is the Strummerville Foundation that keeps his principals alive and runs ‘The
Strummerville Bandstand’ which features an open mic. Many bands drop by and give impromptu performances by the
fireside.

The Charity raises funds by donations and organising events,
which include many of the acts they wish to promote. In 2006 Babyshambles and friends covered The Clash’s ‘Janie
Jones’ – considered by Martin Scorsese* as the greatest British rock and roll
song - in order to raise funds for Strummerville, reaching number 17 in the UK
charts. The video featured:

Glastonbury Strummerville Band Stage

So, Are You An Artist Who Needs Help? What Can Strummerville Do For You?

Why not borrow the Strummerville bus? You could use this for gigs or tours!

This is a very practical solution to a huge problem…
transport and accommodation! There has
been many a time where bands have to ‘rough it’ but it is no good if you
haven’t got anything to rough it in, now is it?! Strummerville can come to your assistance!

Why not perform at one of their festival campfire
sessions? Strummerville are not only an
established presence at the Glastonbury Festival – one of the most notorious
and famous festivals in the world – but at Endorse It in Dorset, Secret Garden
Party and Frankstock. You can get your
practice in and put yourself ‘out there’ in the music scene. It is no good being the greatest talent in
the world if you aren’t shown now, is it?! Click here for all things Somerset Glastonbury!

What about getting some sound advice from Strummerville’s
Mentor Bank? Here you will find
experience, expertise and connections.
Everyone needs a Mentor who can be there for you and give you practical
advice. These mentors have ‘seen it,
been there and worn the t-shirt’, so why not pick their brains?!

Anywhere near Belfast?
Well at ‘Oh Yeah’ Strummerville have two rooms – rehearsal and song
writing – that are open for Artists and Bands in the heart of Belfast. Get some more practice here! If this is too far away, then what about
‘The Roundhouse’ in London? This has
state of the art facilities for 13 – 25 year olds. There are mixers, instruments and space to be creative.

SAMM Logo

Does Strummerville Support Other Causes?

Strummerville also supports many projects by sponsorships,
including the Rookie-a-go-go unsigned stage at the Fuji Rock Festival and are
also keen to show their support for the following organisations:

SAMM - for issues surrounding the victims and families of
loved ones who have been Murdered and
Manslaughtered. They offer support from
trained volunteers after murder and manslaughter and help people through,
sometimes, an unfair criminal system – samm-merseyside.org.uk

Fairtunes And Strummerville

Fairtunes – Strummerville is helping this cause to build,
within the impoverished community of Bogata, a studio – fairtunes.com

Sophie Lancaster Foundation Logo

Sophie Lancaster Foundation And Strummerville

Sophie Lancaster Foundation – This is an organisation that
wish to raise awareness of prejudice in minority groups so as people are free
to express their individuality. This is
about respect and understanding whatever race or creed someone is. As you can see Strummer’s legacy
continues. His humanitarian views on
issues relating to rasicm has been a major influence here –
sophielancasterfoundation.com

Jail Guitar Doors

Jail Guitar Doors, Strummeville And Billy Bragg

Jail Guitar Doors was founded by Billy Bragg. They offer musical instruments to prison inmates
to help with their rehabiliation. This
is a very niche and controversial independent initiative but it is hoped to
draw criminals away from crime by using music as a diversion –
jailguitardoors.org.uk .

The Amber Trust Logo

The Amber Trust – This aims to use music therapy for
children who are blind or partially sighted with and without additional
disabilities. Children can engage with
sounds for pleasure and creativity. The
work done by The Amber Trust can help build confidence and increase the quality
of life through various musical tools – ambertrust.org .

L.A. Music Club in Dover – Former Clash drummer, Topper
Heddon, is President of this, even though it has been operating for over 40
years. The club organises and promotes
local bands. The objective is to teach,
help form bands, record them and help them with business management - thelamusicclub.com

If you would like further information or wish to purchase The Future is Unwritten, Please click on the small icons

The Future is Unwritten by Julien Temple

I met Julien Temple at Strummerville's camp fire at Glastonbury one year and ended up going to the premiere of The Future is Unwritten at Bridgwater near where Joe lived. It was a real eye-opener as to who turned up at this little theatre with make do chairs - the type you can fold away. There were no grand opening or red carpet - it was real. It was honest. It was sooooooooo Joe!

People from all walks of the industry arrived and thanked Lucinda, Joe's widow, and Julien for this quiet little preview. In walked the likes of The Leveller's lead singer, Mark Chadwick, amongst other well wishers from bands past and present, including some of the Blockheads.

Julien paid homage to Strummer in a short speech and introduced The Future is Unwritten. Strummer was such an inspiration, Temple felt impelled to create this documentary in a way to describe how much Joe meant to people. This is more than just a documentary, it is personal.

'The Future is Unwritten is a moving and personal portrait of a musician who helped shaped not just punk, but modern music as a whole'. Amazon

The Maccabees Band: Wall Of ArmsThe Maccabees are a great band. They haven't hit the mainstream, yet, but it is just a matter of time. Wall of Arms is a brilliant album and a real must hear by Indie buffs. Read this article to learn more.

Fancy Some Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll? Hit Me!Sex and drugs and rock and roll is the most appropriate title for this artice. Ian Dury was the front man to his band with the Blockheads. He was a complexed man - a bard from London. Read more about this incredible film about his life.

Ever suffered abusive behaviour from an angry customer who won't calm down? This article draws upon an experience. Lessons are learned in anger management as a way to defuse the situation. Read on, be critical and...

Here you will find best tips when buying silver, gold, precious metals and jewelry on ebay. Why? Because counterfeiters are operating on E-bay. From hallmarked jewellery to bullion, some unwitting buyers have become...

Comments 14 comments

Good Hub Shaz! I hadn't heard of all this it is a great example of what one guy with a team and a vision can do.. A Big hooah! too (along with the green button) Very Koo EL!

shazwellyn 6 years ago from Great Britain Author

Thanks Hmrjmr1... Notice that Damien Hirst is one of the trustees?

Strummer is one of the most respected of people in the music industry. He lead a generation from the front. I thought about writing about the Red Cross and what I do as a volunteer, but went for a true humanitarian instead. Strummerville has little publicity - they get little funding because it isnt world crisis - it is the arts! Thanks for taking the time to read x

prettydarkhorse 6 years ago from US

Hi Shaz, what a nice organization for a great man, helping musicians as well, Thank you, Maita

shazwellyn 6 years ago from Great Britain Author

Thanks Pretty! He was a great man and now his legacy continues.

Thanks for reading! x

bat115 6 years ago from Los Angeles, CA

I had heard of Strummerville before but for whatever reason never took the time to learn what it's all about.

It feels like a seal of approval! Its great that the BBC are following me too! Cant believe it! xx

cosette 6 years ago

wow what a groovy hub! i love the clash. i never heard johnny appleseed and i already love it, i'm...blown away by this hub. well done!

shazwellyn 6 years ago from Great Britain Author

Thanks Cosette. Nice to have an endorsement by you! Glad you enjoyed it!

Asp52 6 years ago from England

really awesome hub, nice to see the great man is still been a force for change and good after his death. Really enjoyed your piece.

shazwellyn 6 years ago from Great Britain Author

Hi Asp52 - Us Strummer fans need to stick together - keep the legend alive for the new generation! They need to keep the fire in their bellys and Mellor is a mentor!

Thanks for reading my friend :)

just575 5 years ago from Oxford

A great hub about a great man and his legacy. What an inspiration Strummer was and continues to be. The Clash - the greatest band ever. London Calling - greatest album ever. Thank you Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Nicky 'Topper' Headon and Paul Simonon.

shazwellyn 5 years ago from Great Britain Author

just575 - yes, inspirational is the word. Strummer has certainly been an inpact on a generation and will continue to be for some time. Thank you for your comment :)